The invention relates to a freight container for air transportation according to the preamble of claim 1. A method for the production thereof is also within the scope of the invention.
Freight containers for air transportation, hereinafter called airfreight containers, are used for storing and transportation of goods by aeroplane. Goods of this type may, for example, be fragile or easily perishable goods or luggage.
Airfreight containers are generally adapted to the inner wall structures of the cargo space for reasons of space and can therefore adopt various spatial shapes. Apart from right-parallelepiped shapes the airfreight containers may form one or two-sided so-called balcony structures which are used for the adaptation of the container shape to the arched wall of the aeroplane fuselage for the purpose of optimum use of the cargo space.
Known airfreight containers are constructed from a support framework made of profiled struts and covered with metal sheets or with infilling. The profiled struts in the process take on the supporting and stiffening function for the airfreight container. The profiled struts are generally open or closed extruded structural sections. The sheet metal coverings are generally attached by riveting to the support framework.
A current type of airfreight container of said type is, for example, disclosed in EP 0 313 601. The described airfreight container is a straight-surfaced bordered body. It consists of a base plate and a support framework placed thereon comprising vertical side sections and horizontal top sections, wherein, on one side the side sections towards the base are inclined towards the container interior and border an oblique lower wall face. In this generally known embodiment a container balcony formed on the airfreight container is referred to. The sections are closed extruded structural sections. Webs are also formed on the sections to which the sheet metal infills for the wall faces are applied by means of riveting.
The production of airfreight containers is very complex and expensive as the most varied parts, such as individual sections, sheet metal infills or gusset plates, have to be produced, machined and assembled into a complete airfreight container. For this purpose, the sectioned struts have to be assembled in first steps into a support framework and then the sheet metal lining has to be attached to the support framework
The production of extruded structural sections, in particular extruded structural sections with closed cavities, is also complex and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,184 also describes a freight container for air transportation comprising expandable regions which could absorb the explosion energy of an explosion triggered in the freight container. The expandable structures relate to wave-shaped or harmonica-shaped layers in the wall regions which are stretched under the pressure of explosion. The expandable structures may be connected to one another in the corner regions by angled, flat corner elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,931 describes a freight container for air transportation which is also designed for the absorption of explosion energy. The wall regions also comprise wavy, expandable reinforcing layers. The wall elements are connected to one another in the corner regions by corner connections made of a fibre-reinforced plastics material.
It is the object of the invention to provide a self-supporting freight container for air transportation with a low weight and high stability, of which the individual components can be prefabricated simply and economically and with as little complexity as possible, and assembled.